Escaflowne: The Dragons Heir
by GirlFromGaea
Summary: Hitomi finds herself on Gaea, discovering a past she had forgotten. A family she never knew existed. A kingdom she was destined to rule. All because she was spirited away from Earth by a raven-haired King, who has more importance in her life than simply being the main figure of her visions and dreams.
1. Chapter 1 - Fateful Meetings

Chapter 1 - Fateful Meetings

 _Was it all just a dream? Or maybe a vision? No, no it couldn't have been! I know it really happened! It all began the day I asked the tarot cards about these recurring dreams I was having…_

Long after the final bell of the day rang out, the students of Kama Kita High School spread themselves over campus. Some had already begun their journey home, others were already participating in their clubs and other after school activities.

Everyone was where they were supposed to be… at least, almost everyone.

The figure of Hitomi Kanzaki, dressed in her blue track pants and jacket, quickly whizzed through the crowd of home-bound students, who's eyes turned in curiosity at the girl who was clearly running late for track practice. Her short sandy-brown hair flew back from the breeze of her speed, flying upwards as she stumbled down a set of stairs and made a leap down the final steps to save herself from falling.

With a successful landing she regained her speed, making her way to the track field where her red-headed friend, Yukari, was waiting, with a annoyed look on her face. Hitomi reached her friend, placing her hands above the knees, trying to catch her breath from all the running.

"You're late! Again! Where have you been? Practice starts at 4pm sharp! You'll never keep your place on the team if you keep doing this, and as the team manager, I'm the one who will hear about it from the coach!" Yukari declared, with annoyance in her voice.

"I'm sorry Yukari, I fell asleep in the library during study period." Hitomi was still panting, catching her breath.

"Again? What's going on Hitomi? That's the third time this week, aren't you getting enough sleep at night?"

"Well I keep having these…"

"Ok, we'll do the girls team next!" Hitomi was interrupted, as the coach shouted for the girls to line up for their practice lap. Hitomi quickly removed her track-suit and made her way to the line up. As the other girls stretched and prepared themselves, Hitomi looked over to Yukari who was conversing with Susumu Amano, a tall upperclassman with shoulder-length brown hair. Yukari noticed Hitomi's staring and waved at her friend in a gesture of good luck, Amano following in the gesture, smiled and waved as well, making Hitomi smile at her friends. Suddenly…

… _**A young boy with wild raven-black hair run up to Hitomi, a big smile on his face as he handed her a small flower…**_

Hitomi shook her head 'What was that? Am I still dreaming?' as she question herself…

… _**A teenaged boy of Hitomi's age, with the same wild raven-black hair, dressed in battle armour, walked towards a towering, muscular man, with long gray-hair and a scar completely covering his left eye.**_

 _ **"**_ _ **Are you ready my Prince?" asked the older man.**_

 _ **"**_ _ **Yes Balgus, I am ready!" replied the raven-haired teen.**_

 _ **"**_ _ **I know you will succeed Lord Van, keep your brother's failure far from your mind." Balgus said gently to the teen he called 'Van'.**_

 _ **Van cringed at the statement.**_

 _ **"**_ _ **That's enough Balgus!" he replied aggressively. "You know I would never run away from my enemy!"**_

*Bang*

The sound of a gunshot pulled Hitomi out of her vision and she instinctively leapt from the blocks where her feet were placed. She ran swiftly, gaining on the fastest girl. As she passed the leader of the race, she saw before her the same raven-haired prince standing right in front of her. Confused and running at full speed, she thought she was going to collide with him, only to become shocked as she ran through him like he was air. She immediately fell backwards, into blackness…

… _**Hitomi was standing in what would be described as a wasteland. Dead bodies, fallen weapons and pieces of something, scattered the ground.**_

 _ ***Clang***_

 _ **She turned around and saw two giants battle each other with swords. One was blue, plain and rounded, the other was white and majestic looking. The white giant over-powered the blue giant with vertical swipe down its front. The blue giant fell, defeated, as the white giant stood, almost appearing taller, in victory**_ _ **…**_

Hitomi slowly opened her eyes, her sight adjusting quickly to the light of the room. She realized she was in the schools infirmary and was surprised to see Amano sitting by her bedside.

"Amano" she began to sit up.

"You should stay in bed and rest." He gently suggested. "You gave us quite a scare there Hitomi. You've been out for over an hour."

Hitomi looked out the window and realized the sun was setting. The clock on the wall read that it was well after 5pm.

"I'm glad you weren't hurt or anything. Your forms looks pretty good by the way," Amano began. Hitomi blushed 'My form? Is he talking about my body?'

"I can tell you've been practicing quite a bit since Junior High. I expect it won't be long before coach makes you the captain of the woman's track team."

'oh he was talking about my form for running' Hitomi's blush quickly faded, happy to receive a compliment on her running skills from the men's track captain.

"Thank you, I still have a lot of work to do. I wish I could beat 13 seconds like you have, Amano."

"It's all in the way you come off the blocks. You've got to focus and give it everything you've got. You'll get there eventually." He gave her a confident smile.

"Hey, that's a nice pendant!" he pointed to the pink jewel that hung on a chain around Hitomi's neck.

"Thanks, it belonged to my grandmother when she was alive. It's my good luck charm. The neat thing about it is, when you swing it back and forth it keeps perfect time. Always completing one cycle a second, never slowing down."

"Wow, can I try it?" Amano leaned forward to reach for the pendant… a little too far forward. Hitomi didn't even get a chance to move her hand to remove the pendant for Amano, when the infirmary door opened swiftly.

"Hitomi! How are you fee…" Yukari's expression quickly changed from a smile to utter shock at what she saw. Amanos face was practically at Hitomis, and his hand hover just a little bit over Hitomi's left breast.

He had originally placed his hand palm up to take the pendant but as the door opened, he subconsciously flipped his hand over as his face turned to the entrance. It made appear as if he was about to cop-a-feel on Hitomi, who was now sitting blushing a beet red, only imagining how this situation looked to Yukari.

"Yukari! For the thousandth time, nothing happened and nothing was going to happen! I swear!" cried Hitomi, as her red-headed friend walked a bit a head of her.

"You just keep telling yourself that Hitomi… But honestly I never thought you'd be THAT kind of girl." It was the first Yukari had spoken since they left the school infirmary. Amano, quickly darted out of the room and the girls stared awkwardly for a few minutes before Hitomi finally broke the silence and informed her friend she'd get changed so they could leave. Yukari could only manage a small nod at that moment, but now, Hitomi could hear the sarcastic and teasing tone in her friends voice. Annoyed, but relieved, Hitomi sighed, thankful her friend wasn't upset with her.

"But if you don't want the other girls to hear about this, it's gonna cost you." She had turned to face Hitomi and winked at her as she finished her statement. Hitomi rolled her eyes 'Of course it will.'

"A cherry cheesecake from the bakery and a different dessert at lunch everyday for the next week." Hitomi couldn't help but laugh. Of course her friend wanted sweets, the red-head could practically eat her weight in sweets.

They had finally reached the train station platform, and as they awaited their train to arrived, Yukari began a new conversation.

"Oh hey, I just remembered, you were going to tell me about why you haven't been getting much sleep lately. Are you going out to parties every night or something?"

Hitomi smiled while rolling her eyes at her friend. Yukari knew perfectly well she was not that kind of girl.

"No, I've been having these really weird and vivid dreams. I've had them on and off for the last year, but this past week they've become more frequent."

"Is it the dream you told me about before? The raven-haired boy, and the moon and earth in the sky?"

"Yes, but there's more now. I've been dreaming about the same boy, except he's older, around our age."

Yukari absorbed her friends words, and immediately a smile that would out-do the Cheshire Cat himself, grew on her face.

"And, uh, what happens in these new dreams, with the teenaged version of the raven-haired boy?"

It took a minute for Hitomi to realize what Yukari was getting at, but once she did her face felt hot and turned beet red once more.

"YUKARI! NOTHING LIKE THAT!" Thankfully as Hitomi shouted that, the train pulled up, giving a loud whistle, preventing other passengers from hearing her yell at her best friend. Yukari held her sides, as she laughed, which continued until they sat down in the train. Silence fell between the two girls again, as Yukari regained control of herself, and lightly smiled at Hitomi, who was giving her a glare for being suggestive about her dreams.

"Ok, for real, what has been happening in your dreams?" Hitomi maintained most of her glare, only raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"I promise I won't laugh or make anymore suggestive comments."

Still glaring "You promise?"

Yukari raised her right hand, placing her left over her heart "I promise. Scouts honour."

Hitomi relaxed her body, relieving it of the hostile posture and turning to face her friend.

"It started a few days ago, I had the same dream I normally have"…

 _ **…A young Hitomi stood in the middle of a beautiful garden, which was located in a lush green forest. Wearing a light pink dress, with her hand placed behind her back, she looked side-to-side, searching for something. Her sandy-brown hair fell just below her shoulders and waved back and forth with every turn of her little head.**_

 _ **Out of the corner of her eye she saw a bush full of flowers begin to shake. She turned to observe and discover the source. Out stumbled the young raven-haired boy, wearing a red shirt and dark shorts, shaking leaves and twigs out of his wild hair with his left hand, while holding a small flower in his right. He looked over to his right and saw Hitomi staring at him. Not only did his face widen with a big smile, Hitomi could see that same smile in his crimson coloured eyes. He ran over and handed the flower to her. Hitomi smiled just as brightly as the boy, accepting his beautiful gift**_ _ **…**_

"And then instead of waking up as I normally do, the dream changes."

 _ **…15 year-old Hitomi is standing before a large tower, the sky is dark with ominous clouds, and the land surrounding her is dead and dreary. A bolt of lightning strikes the tower, cracking it and causing it to collapse. As it hits the ground, the earth beneath Hitomi's feet begins to shake and then collapse. Hitomi is now falling from the earth, nothing beneath or above her accept darkness.**_

 _ **A flash of light appears, and a man descends from above towards the falling Hitomi. Bright white wings appear from his back and he speeds his descent. Hitomi reaches for the winged-man, whose face is covered in shadow. Their hands meet in a life-saving grip**_ _ **…**_

"So that's one of the changes to my dream… it's also the longest one. Sometimes I dream and I see Van in my regular dreams. I'll be doing basic things like hanging out with you, or sitting in class, and I'll see him, standing there, looking for something."

"Van? Where did you come up with that name?" Yukari's head tilted side ways, glancing at her friend, who was staring out the train window opposite to them.

"That's another thing. Before I did my run I had a vision of the little boy… then it changed and I saw him as a teenager, he was talking to an older man, who called the teen 'Van'."

"You know what I think," Yukari began, sitting back into her seat, hands at the back of her head.

"Maybe this Van guy might your soulmate."

"My soulmate, Yukari?" she replied, almost in disbelief at the idea of it.

"Yeah, you know how some people say we're reincarnated from previous lives? And we dream about or meet people we've never met before, but they feel so familiar? Maybe you're dreaming about a previous life and he's your soulmate. Maybe he's trying to call you in this life, and that's why you're dreaming about him more often."

"You know what I think, Yukari?"

They girls sat silently, staring at each other, for a good few seconds. The train stopped and announced the girls destination.

"You're crazy!"

With that, Hitomi got and grabbed her things, heading off the train. Yukari sat for a second, grabbed her stuff and ran after her friend. Hitomi was already making her way down the steps of the outdoor platform, as Yukari got off the train.

"SAYS THE GIRL WHO READS FORTUNES AND HAS WEIRD DREAMS ABOUT SOME GUY!"

Neither girl cared if passengers looked their way, as Yukari ran to catch up to her friend to finish their walk home together.

Only two things were on Hitomi's mind as she laid in bed that night. 1) How could she beat 13 seconds in the 100m sprint? and 2) What was the meaning behind the dreams she was having lately.

She turned her head and looked at the deck of tarot cards resting on her desk. Her predictions for her friends were always accurate, and she had yet to do a reading for herself. Sliding off her bed, she made her way to the desk, placing her fingertips on the first card…

 _ **… The silhouette of the raven-haired teen, Van, was standing with his back to Hitomi. As if she was gliding through the hair, she could now only see him from the shoulders up. He turned his head toward her, staring off in the distance at his left side, a lost and sad look on his face and in his crimson eyes…**_

The vision didn't give her any hesitation, as she picked up and began to shuffle her deck. It was almost as if some powerful force was guiding her actions. Her question to the cards was very clear. What did her dreams and visions mean? She drew the first card.

The tower!

"The card of distant separation?" she shook her head in confusion and drew the next card.

The Ace of Serpants!

"Courage?"

The reading made no sense to her, but the lack of good sleep in the past week finally hit her, and she made her way in to bed. For the first night in a week, she had a dreamless sleep.

Hitomi was sitting with her lunch, studying her notes from the previous class, when her Amano and Yukari approached her.

"Hitomi?" she looked up from her notes and met Amano's gaze. He had an excited smile on his face, as did Yukari. It appeared to Hitomi that the events of the previous afternoon were long from her friends minds.

"What's up guys?" she asked, her smile matching theirs.

"We just found out that you and Amano have been chosen to represent the school in the 100m sprint race in two weeks!" Yukari could hardly contain her excitement, practically shouting the news at her friend. Hitomi was shocked. How did she get picked?

"But I can't even break 13 seconds yet, I'm not even the fastest girl on the team. How on earth did the coach choose me for this?"

"Ok, you're right that you aren't the fastest girl," Yukari spoke so bluntly, making Hitomi's eyes narrow a bit.

"But Keiko slipped in her tub and dislocated her collarbone… she's not going to be running any time soon. So you're it girl!"

"I know you want to break 13 seconds, Hitomi, so I was going to suggest we meet at the track field tonight and work on your sprint." It was nice of Amano to suggest, and Hitomi knew she'd need to break 13 seconds if she had any chance of beating the other girls.

"Sounds like a plan, I'll be there!" Hitomi gave Amano a thankful smile.

"Great, I'll see both you girls there tonight." Amano waved at them and departed from the cafeteria.

"You're coming too Yukari?"

"But of course, who else will make sure you keep your honour in tact around the gorgeous and wonderful, Amano Susumou!" Yukari winked, she was of course being silly and dramatic.

"I'm going for moral support, and also as the team manager it is my job to help shape up our schools representatives." She crossed her arms, raising her nose to the sky to give herself a look of importance and authority. Though her words were true, her physical actions were a flare of dramatics, all for Hitomi's and her own entertainment.

Hitomi was all set on the blocks, her lucky pendant secured around her neck, hiding itself under her shirt. Yukari watched from the sidelines, while Amano stood just over 100m from Hitomi, stop-watch in-hand and ready.

"Ready! Set! Go" Hitomi took off with great speed, as she ran as fast as she could…

The raven-haired prince, Van, with his sword in-hand, was running through an open field, the look in his eyes, he was eager to meet his sword with someone, or something

…8 seconds into her sprint, lightning repeatedly struck the ground, merging together to create a pillar of light. It was happening so fast, Hitomi could not stop herself. Suddenly, Van merged from the pillar of light, which disappeared, as his feet touched the ground, placing him directly into Hitomi's path. Unable to stop, she ran right into his left side.

Van kept his footing, but in an instinctive move to defend himself, he had pushed Hitomi to the ground. He stood there, staring at her, while stared up at him.

"Who are you?" he snapped. Hitomi just sat there frozen. Van glanced around at his surroundings, realizing they weren't familiar.

"Where am I?"

'It's him!' Hitomi thought. Amano and Yukari came to her side. Yukari kneeled down beside Hitomi. 'He's the same guy from my dreams and visions!'

He was standing before her, his upper body was dressed in black armour, with a long-sleeved chainmail shirt underneath, with tan pants and black boots. A crossbow was strapped to his back and he held a sword in his right hand.

"Who are you?" Amano asked, rather aggressively.

"Don't take that tone with me!" Van shot back, matching Amano's aggression.

"Please, just calm down. We're not from your world. I'm Hitomi, what's your name?" Hitomi found the strength to stand and speak to Van, trying to ease the situation.

Van eased up a little, but his guard was still up, like he was expecting something.

"It's Van. Van Fanel." he answered calmly.

"Wait! Hitomi, isn't Van the guy from your dreams?" Yukari whispered to Hitomi. She nodded to her friend, keeping her eyes on Van. Van suddenly tensed up his body.

"It's coming, the dragon!" he said.

"You should leave this place, a land dragon is coming."

"A dragon?" Hitomi didn't understand. The dragons of earth were long extinct. What was he talking about.

More lightning appeared and what looked like a rip in the fabric of existence appeared across the track field. Instead of the chain-link fence, and walkway behind it, now there was a deep forest. A large scaly foot appeared from it's depth and landed with a loud thud on the pavement of the track field. What followed it terrified the three high-school teens. Van was prepared for action.

"Leave now, unless you want to be eaten by a dragon." He shouted at the trio, as he charged for the dragon, which stared at Hitomi and her friends.

"Hey ugly! You're fighting me remember! If you're hungry, feast on me!"

The dragon, with it's green, giant toad-shaped body, long slender neck and snake-like head, turned it's attention to Van. It's chest turned orange and began to enlarge, as if something was going to burst from it. The dragon lowered its head, opened its mouth and released a burst of fire at Van.

Attached to his gauntlet, Van released a folding fire-protecting shield, and lowered his body into it, as the flames engulfed him. When the dragon was out of fire, Van stood up, discarding the burned shield and pulled the crossbow over his shoulder, and shot the dragon directly into one of its eyes. The dragon collapsed to its left side.

"Gotcha!" Van smugly shouted, but the dragon swiftly knocked Van over with its tail. He rolled sideways several times, vomiting once he stopped.

"It'll take more than that to stop me. I'm stronger than you think" he picked up his sword, which had fallen to the ground when he was hit, and took a swing at the dragon's side. It did nothing. The dragon's attention was suddenly drawn to the Hitomi.

"If you want to live, get out of here! Now!" he shouted.

"You heard what he said, let's go." Hitomi lead her friends out of the track field and across the street. Yukari, in a desperate hurry, tripped over her own feet. Amano and Hitomi ran back to her.

"I'm sorry!" she cried.

"It looks like you've twisted your ankle," Amano could see the swelling already.

"Climb onto my back, I'll carry you"

With Yukari on his back and Hitomi concerned for her two friends, they knew the had little options to get away from the dragon. Amano then began to run to a set of stone stairs.

"Hitomi, this way. We'll go to the shrine"

The dragon started after them, but Van was not going to lose the dragon so easily. Just before the dragon ran, Van pulled out a hook attached to his other gauntlet and caught one of the dragons scales.

The trio were by the shrine once the dragon and Van finally reached them. It was about to lunge at them, but Van jumped off the dragon and managed to retrieve its attention. The dragon's chest grew again, ready to set off another blaze. Van jumped just in time to miss the fire. After he regained his footing, he charged at the dragon and slashed down at its side. Nothing again.

"Dammit! This sword just won't cut through those scales." Van growled in frustration.

As Hitomi and her friends watched from the safety of the shrine…

 _ **… Van stood in front of the dragon, cursing at his sword for not cutting through the scales. The dragon noticed Vans distraction, and like a scorpion, raised its tail, descending the sharp end of it into Vans back, killing him instantly…**_

 __… "Oh no! He's going to die!" Hitomi quickly darted out of the shrine and just as the dragon began descending its tail towards Van.

"Watch out above!" she yelled.

Van looked up and jumped out of the way just in time. The tail barely missed him, slashing through his armour and chainmail shirt, stripping it from him. He stood unscratched, with a red tunic he wore underneath, still intact.

With the dragons tail still embedded in the ground, Van quickly jumped on it, slicing his sword in the dragons weak skin, as he slide down it's back end. The dragon raised it's head, roaring in agony. Van ran around to the front of the dragon and drove his sword into the centre of its chest.

The dragon collapsed, dead. Van began to dig in its chest, until he pulled out a pink orb. Hitomi thought it was the dragons heart, since the dragon quickly turned to dust after it was pulled. Hitomi cautiously approached Van.

"Excuse me. Are you ok?" Van growled at her question.

"Look, I don't need any woman to worry about me!" he snapped at her.

"I suppose you want a reward then. Fine, come to my castle! Just don't get cocky!" he glared at her.

"I apologize for involving you and your friends in my dragon slaying." he turned his nose from her.

"Oh, and by the way, you didn't help me slay the dragon, you know!"

Hitomi came closer, and Van turned his face to her.

*slap*

His cheek was immediately met with the hard-struck palm of her hand. He stood there, shocked.

"What is your problem?" she screamed at him.

"Are you always so pig-headed? I didn't help you for a reward, I did it because I thought you were going to die and I was really scared. The least you could do is say 'thank you'. Grrr, I shouldn't have even saved, I should have just let that stupid dragon eat you!"

She broke down crying after all that and Van just stood there, unsure of what to do next. The pink orb in his hand began to glow.

"The energist!?" he whispered. Hitomi pulled her face from her hands and looked at the glowing orb. They were immediately surrounded by a pillar of light, and began to pulled up into the sky.

Amano rushed to Hitomi as quickly as he could.

"Help me, Amano!" she called out to him, extending her arm for him.

"Hitomi… HITOMI!" he reached out for the girl, but it was too late. The pillar of light spirited Hitomi away from her friends.

Hitomi woke up, immediately noticing she was in a grassy field, surrounded by forests. Off to her left, Van stood, holding his sword in his right hand, and the orb he called an 'energist' in his left.

"I made it." she heard him say to himself, as he looked to the sky.

"What happened?" she asked, and then she followed his gaze. She was frozen in her spot at the site before her. There hanging in the sky was the moon… and behind it the earth.

"Is that the earth? What's going on? Where are we?"

"I'd say we're near the village of Arzas." Van answered calmly.

"What? Arzas?" Hitomi's attention was taken from Vans answer to the forest, where she heard the sounds of howls, growls and could see glowing eyes from the below the tree-line.

… _I finally understood what they meant. The card of separation and the Ace of Serpents. I could see the earth and the moon above me in the sky, and would soon learn that this strange world, was called Gaea._


	2. Chapter 2 - Girl From Two Worlds

Chapter 2 - The Girl From Two Worlds

 _Was it all just a dream? How did I get to this strange world? Maybe it had something to do with my dreams and visions? All I know is one minute I was with my friends and the next minute, I was swept up into the clouds by the raven-haired boy who slew the dragon. I found myself in a world where the earth and the moon hang in the sky, and creatures that were strange and frightening._

Hitomi's attention was focused on the forest, where she heard the sounds of howls, growls and could see glowing eyes from the below the tree-line.

"We're surrounded," Van said.

Hitomi turned her attention back to him and noticed his hands tighten on the hilt of the sword. At the sound of rustling bushes, Hitomi focused once again on the tree line, and saw a shadowy-figure with glowing eyes, rise up, growling at the pair.

"Van Fanel?" the figure stopped growling. Van smiled and relaxed his body, he clearly recognized the owner of the voice. The shadow stepped out from the forest, into the moonlight, revealing what Hitomi would describe as a wolf-man. He had brown eyes and fur, and wore a light purple tunic, and a blue sash draped over his right shoulder.

"Ruhm." Van was happy to see a familiar face.

"So you went to the Mystic Moon? And you brought this girl back with you?"

Ruhm had kindly offered Van and Hitomi transportation back to Vans home, as he was heading in the same direction to reach a small market village. To Hitomis surprise, the back of the cart was a smooth ride, and the quite comfy, as they were sitting on piles of soft fur.

"She seems to have followed me home." Van answered in a tone that hinted at both annoyance and exhaustion.

"Excuse me, but what is the Mystic Moon?" Hitomi could not take the confusion anymore, she needed some kind of answer as to what was going on and being talked about.

"Look," Ruhm lifted his head and pointed upwards, so Hitomi could follow his gaze.

"The blue moon up there, that is where Van brought you from. We call it the Mystic Moon."

'The mystic moon?' Hitomi continued to stare at the earth…

 _ **Smoke rose above the city buildings. Cloaked giants appeared out of thin air, with metallic claws ripping through a group of soldiers…**_

"Are you okay?"

Hitomi was brought back to reality at the sound of Vans voice, which actually sounded as if he was concerned. She shook her head.

"It's nothing, I'm fine."

They travelled in silence for the rest of the way, within a few hours, well past dawn, Ruhm stopped his cart and turned to Hitomi.

"Look! Below us is Fanelia, little lady. Van Fanel, welcome home."

The sight before Hitomi was strangely familiar. Even though she couldn't recollect the saw she was currently seeing, from any of her visions or dreams, she had a feeling she had been here once before…

… _ **In the garden, surrounded by the green forest, the young boy, Van was standing by a taller boy. Hitomi could only see him from behind, but noticed he was bare-foot, wearing long tanned pants, a blue tunic, and had long icy-blue hair. The younger Van, smiling and laughing, was tugging on the older boys arm with all his strength, while the older boy just laughed. The younger Van looked in Hitomis direction, and stopped pulling the older boys arm to wave at Hitomi, beckoning her to join them. The older boy began to turn…**_

… Below Hitomi, surrounded in a protective embrace of mountains and forest, stood Fanelia. It had a large wall and gate, to provide protection for the opening where the mountain and forest did not reach. Rows upon rows of houses and at the very back was a large, mighty castle.

As the group went through the large gate, all of Fanelia was there waiting, ready to greet their arriving guest. Hitomi didn't really know what to make of it all.

Once the cart came to a stop, Van leaped off, only to find himself in the embrace of a sandy-brown cat-girl with pink hair, the second his feet touched the ground.

"Lord Van! I was so worried about you," she cried, as she proceeded to lick his face.

"Merle, cut that out, everyone is watching." He protested.

Hitomi, who had been helped off the cart by one of Ruhms wolf-men, stared at them.

'Great, first wolf-men, now a cat girl.'

Her attention was easily caught as a group of 4 large men, in armour, approached them.

The cat-girl, Merle, quickly released Van, bowed and backed away from him. The man in the center of the group, whom Hitomi recognized from her vision, 'Balgus?' approached Van himself.

"Lord Van. Welcome back!" he said calmly.

Van nodded, took the pink energist, and lifted it high for all to see.

"I, Van Fanel, have completed the task of dragon slaying, and have returned with this drag-energist."

The other three men behind Balgus stood in awe at the sight of the energist. Balgus was the first to bend the knee, and the others quickly followed suit.

"We, the four generals of the samurai of Fanelia, verify this to be true Prince Van!"

'He's a prince? That explains the arrogance.' Hitomi thought to herself.

Hitomi found it difficult to sleep. Even though she had been up all night, the entire adventure she had up to this point made her mind unable to settle its thoughts. The room she had been given was a quote large. The walls were white and a brown timber-frame style. The bed was rather large, much bigger than what Hitomi had back home.

She had changed from her track suit to her school uniform, which consisted of a white, long-sleeved blouse, a brown pleaded skirt, running shoes and socks. On the bed sat her bag and beside it the remainder of uniform, a tan and blue kuffu.

Hitomi opened the window and gazed off into the distance, far beyond the mountains walls. Below her, Fanelias soldiers were making preparations for the tournament that would mark the celebration of Vans coronation as King. Throughout the castle, people were busy preparing meals, rooms, decorations, outfits, anything related to the coronation. But Hitomi paid no attention to any of it.

She sat there, staring off into the distance, wondering a variety of different things. What was going on back home? How were her friends and family? What were they doing?

And most importantly. "What am I doing here?"

She laid her head down in her arms, shut her eyes and focused on that burning question, when all of a sudden, she felt a presence above. Looking up, she not only jumped out of her chair, but nearly out of her own skin as well. Hanging upside from the roof was the cat-girl, Merle, that had greeted Van earlier when they arrived in Fanelia.

Without any effort, the cat-girl leaped from the roof the window sill, and sat there, licking her wrist… just like any cat would. Still licking, Merle began glancing up and down at Hitomi through the corner of her eyes. Hitomi just stood there, in a defensive stance, wondering what was going to happen next.

"What do you want?" she finally asked the cat-girl.

She stopped licking her wrist, and turned her full head towards Hitomi. If looks could kill, Hitomi was almost certain that's what Merle was trying to do with her intense glare.

"Just stay away from him! You got it?" That was a threat, if Hitomi had ever heard one.

"What are you talking about?" Hitomi was unsure why the cat-girl felt the need to threaten her.

But Merle suddenly had something else on her mind. She noticed Hitomis duffel bag and immediately began ripping through it.

"What are you doing?" she screamed at Merle, as her track pants flew up into her face. Her pendant also flew into her hands from the rain-fall of items Merle had thrown from the bag.

"You sure have a lot of junk in here!" the cat-girl was still grabbing things out of the bag.

"Will you cut that out already!" Hitomi had enough of the invasion of her privacy. That caught enough of Merle's attention to make her turn around, but the pretty pink jewel in Hitomis hand, quickly refocused it immediately. Merle grinned devilishly, and swiped the pendent from Hitomis grip.

"This is pretty! I'm gonna keep it!" and with that she was off on all fours out the door and down the hall.

"Come back here you cat-burglar!" Hitomi didn't hesitate in chasing down the cat-girl. She smoothly made every corner, keeping up with the swift cat-girl. She almost caught up when she ran past an open door and caught site of what was happening inside. She stopped and peered into the room.

Balgus, the towering general she had met earlier, was standing shirtless, wearing blue pants and boots, a sword in his hand. Hitomi was shocked at the large scars that covered most of his upper body. Across from him was Van, wearing the same outfit as earlier.

With sword in hand, Van positioned himself, sword tip pointed toward Balgus, and charged swiftly towards him. Van lifted his sword for the fatal vertical blow, but Balgus easily blocked it. Van recoiled back as Balgus pushed his own sword forward.

"You're not charging aggressively enough, Lord Van. You must come at me as if you mean to kill."

Van bowed his head

"I know, I just don't like mortal sword combat."

"It is a poor thing for a man who is about to be King to hold such weak sentiments!"

… _Hitomi was sitting in a small make-shift dojo out back behind her house, sitting across from her father, each with a sword resting horizontal across their laps._

" _Did you always enjoy sword-fighting, dad? Mom always tells me how you competed a lot when you were younger." Hitomi asked._

 _Hitomi's father smiled. "I did… compete, quite a bit in my youth. I enjoy training you and Alon. But you have to remember something. A person can be great at something, but that does not mean they enjoy it." …_

"It's not like I'm becoming King because I want to be." Vans words pulled Hitomi from her memory.

"Lord Van… we have a visitor!"

Hitomi froze, Balgus was now staring at her. How long had he known she was there?

"I'm sorry," She blurted, bowing her head.

"I didn't mean to disturb your lesson."

Van starred at Hitomi, as if it was the first time he was really seeing her. There was something familiar about her, and that changed his feelings of annoyance to feelings of calm.

"That's the problem with you foreigners," Hitomi turned her head to her left, where the sound of Merles voice came from.

"You have no respect!" she finalized her statement regarding Hitomi, who quickly changed her relaxed stance to a defensive one.

"Hey! You have something of…"

She was cut off, as the cat-girl quickly shoved the pendant back into Hitomis hands.

"Why you little…"

"I'm here Lord Van!" The cat-girl threw herself into Van, forcing him into an uncomfortably tight hug.

Hitomi sighed as she stared at the pair, aware through her peripheral vision that Balgus was slowly approaching here.

"Lord Van explained to me what happened. I speak for all of Fanelia when I say, thank you for saving our King." Balgus kneeled on one knee and bowed his head.

"I promise, as a samurai of Fanelia, until we find you a way back to your home, I will protect you from any harm, as a show of honour and gratitude."

"Thank you," Hitomi bowed back to Balgus, unsure of what to think or say to his offer.

"Merle, come with me, I have something I need your help with in preparation for the coronation ceremony."

"Coming Lord Balgus."

Merle quickly released Van and followed Balgus as they exited the dojo and turned down the hall. It was now just Van and Hitomi in the room, which left an awkward silence between the two. Hitomi hated awkward silences. Van didn't seem to notice as he turned from her and began putting away his training sword and pads.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your lesson." She finally blurted out, ending the silence.

"Too be honest, you kind of saved me a second time,"

Hitomi was pretty sure that was as close to a 'Thank you' as she was going to get from Van for saving him from the dragon. His back remained to her as she began to turn towards the door, her intentions being to return to her room.

"I was wondering,"

Hitomi quickly turned back to Van, who was now completely facing her direction.

"As a proper 'thank you' and an apology for my earlier behaviour, if you would join me for dinner this evening. It will be just you and me. Perhaps we could talk and find a way to get you back home safely."

Despite the fact that she was completely stunned by Vans change in behaviour, without missing a step, Hitomis response was a brief "Yes" with a head bow. She rushed back to her room, where she spent the remainder of the day, trying to grasp everything that happened to her in the past 24 hours.

Hitomi was quite surprised with the room she found herself in. She was in a palace, about to have dinner with a Prince who was about to become King, she was expecting it to be in a massive dinning hall with servants everywhere, instead she was in what felt like an intimate, large family, dinning room. Along the walls were portraits of Van, when he was a boy, with Merle and other people she guessed were his family. One portrait strongly grabbed her attention.

The scenery were the gardens Hitomi always saw Van in, when she would have a dream or vision about him. Van was standing, a big happy smile on his face and in his eyes. He was wearing his usual red-tunic with brown shorts and boots.

Beside him 'This girl.. she looks just like…no that's not possible' stood a young girl, also smiling, close to the same height as Van.

Her sandy-brown hair was wavy and just reached her shoulders and her big green eyes revealed that she was genuinely happy. Hitomis eyes expressed shock and she stood frozen in front of the portrait.

"You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Hitomi nearly jumped out of her own skin, as she spun around and found Van standing behind her. He smiled at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"No you didn't, not really, I was just caught up in my own thoughts."

Van looked up at the portrait Hitomi had been looking at.

"I apologize for being late, the council was going over some coronation plans and it took longer than I thought. Dinner will be along shortly."

"That's fine"

Hitomi watched as Van continued to stare at the portrait of himself and the girl. Hitomi noticed his face was both happy and sad.

"She meant a lot to you, didn't she?"

Van looked over at Hitomi with a feint smile.

"Ariana was my best friend, we did everything together whenever we'd visit each other, and we always wrote when we were apart."

"What happened to her? If you don't mind me asking."

"10 years ago, her uncle led an army and took the throne from Arianas father, forcing them to flee. I was only a child, I didn't know much about the politics of what happened, so I always asked my mother and father why she didn't come and stay with us, and they would always tell me that she would have never been safe here."

Van sighed, sadness was written all over his face.

"Fanelia wasn't always it's own country. It used to be a province of Draconia, which is the kingdom ruled by Arianas family. My family was given lordship over the lands, and we grew it into what it is now. A few generations ago, the King of Draconia signed over Fanelia to my family to rule over it as a kingdom in its own right, however, we still bend the knee and swear fealty to the Kingdom of Draconia and their present ruler. If we had taken Ariana and her family in…"

Vans face became angry, his fists clenched.

"It would be considered treason to 'King' Hybor"

Hitomi backed away slightly from the sound of the venom in Vans voice, he noticed and quickly relaxed himself.

"I apologize, it was a long time ago, and I am a King, I should have better control over my emotions."

"It's alright. It's difficult when you are in a situation where you feel you can't do anything, especially when it involves the people you care about. What do you think happened to her?"

Vans eyes were completely on Hitomi, it had been so long since he last felt comfortable enough around someone, to open up about his childhood friend.

"I don't know. No one has seen or heard from her or her family since they fled Draconia. Some believe they fled and are in hiding, but I feel if they were still alive, they would have done something to go back home, or reached out to my family. You know, it's interesting. Earlier today, you reminded me of her. Your hair and eyes are the same colour as hers, and when you got defensive with Merle, it was the same way she would have acted."

"I'll admit, when I saw this painting, I was a little startled. She does look a bit like I did as a child. Her hair is longer though, I've always kept mine short, for as long as I can remember. And I was never one for wearing dresses as a child."

"Neither was she, but her mother and mine would always dress her up. My mother loved her like she was her own daughter. We were like one big family really. There's more portraits this way, if you'd like to see."

Hitomi nodded and followed Van into an adjoining room. It was a living room/library with couches and book shelves, all covered in dust from years of not being used. Hung up on the walls were more portraits, covered in cloth to protect them from the dust.

"The books and scrolls on the shelves contain records of the Fanel and Dracen family lineage, the history of the two kingdoms, as well as other, history of wars on Gaea. My father never stepped foot in this room after what Hybor did to his family. The rest of us followed suit. I apologize, the years have caught up to this room in terms of dust."

"That's fine, my grandparents have a room like this at their home, containing the history of my mother's family, but they rarely use it, so every time we visit, it's always dusty."

Hitomi smiled as she spoke, and something about that smile made Van feel even more safe around her. He began removing the cloth from the portraits. The first two were similar to the ones Hitomi had already seen. One of Van and his family when he was just a baby, and the other, a different portrait of Van and Arianna, much younger than in the previous one, clearly toddler-age.

The third portrait… that one was about to change everything for both of them.

Van pulled the cloth, and let it glide down from the portrait. For some reason to Hitomi, the cloth dropped in almost slow motion, but it didn't matter, her smile quickly faded and her whole face went white as a sheet at the sight before her.

The portrait contained a 5-year-old Arianna, dressed the same as from the first portrait with young Van, beside her and behind her were three incredibly familiar and undeniable people.

Van hadn't noticed Hitomis reaction to the portrait, he was still looking at it.

"This is Arianna with her family. Her father, mother, baby-brother, and her cousin, who became her adoptive brother, Al…"

"Alonnos!"

Van turned his head to Hitomi, his heart was beating hard in his chest.

'Is she? Arianna?'

 _The visions and dreams about Van finally made sense. We were childhood friends, and the hints that made me suspect, the clues that I denied, I now had to accept. Before me was a portrait of my own family. My father, my mother, my youngest brother as a baby, and my cousin, who was more of an older brother to me. When my eyes fell on his face, I knew this was all true…_


	3. Chapter 3 - Water and Blood

Chapter 3 - Water and Blood

 _Was it all just a dream? Or maybe a vision? I wish it was either of those, but it's not. That portrait… My brother… Van… This is all real… I finally understood why Van was so familiar to me, and the reason came crashing on me like a giant wave crashing in the sea…_

The darkness of night blanketed Fanelia, not a single light could be seen from a single window, as everyone was fast asleep. Exhausted from the days work, preparing the kingdom for Van's coronation a few days away. That is, almost everyone was asleep. Two souls were awake in the middle of the night. Their mind going over and over about the recent revelation they had learned at dinner earlier that night.

Van was the first to leave his bed, wandering the dark halls of the castle, until he reached one of his favourite places to think when he couldn't sleep. Often he would climb onto the roof from his balcony, and lay there, staring at the stars and the two moons. That was where he first started. But every-time his eyes gazed upon the Mystic Moon, Hitomi's face popped into his head.

He was relieved to discover that his childhood friend was alive and now back in his life, but he also understood that Hitomi had no recollection of him and her life here on Gaea. He wanted her to stay, but he also knew he had to find a way to get her home to her family. It felt like a longer walk than usual, to reach his second favourite place: The dojo.

He always disliked fighting and practicing with swords, but because everyone else knew that, the dojo provided the perfect hiding place for him. No one would think to look for him here, especially in the rafters. He had settled himself up in the ceiling, when someone unexpected walked into the dojo: Hitomi.

The events from earlier that night hit both Van and Hitomi hard, but Hitomi was at a loss for thought. Both had questions and wanted answers. For Van, he had Hitomi back, but for Hitomi, she had nothing and no one but strangers. She felt more lost and alone, and she shut down mentally. She didn't remember how she slowly walked out of the room an back to hers, while Van stared, stunned, at her. When she finally snapped out of it, she found herself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. She sat up, thinking of her family, why they never told her, and how much she wished her parents were here. She changed into her track pants and t-shirt, and walked to the one place that could possibly give her some feeling of familiarity: The dojo.

It was far away from the bed chambers, so she knew she wouldn't disturb anyone while she practised. Upon entering, she noticed a practice dummy not too far from her left. To her right, a variety of practice swords. Her father had taught her with the katana, backsword and the longsword. While the katana was a favourite of her father, Hitomi preferred the longsword.

She walked over to the practice swords and carefully examined each one before she found a longsword that was a decent weight for her. The blade was dull, that was fine with her, she was use to using them as she never needed a sharp-edged sword. She walked slowly with it, occasionally twirling the sword.

Van watched her closely, noticing every twirl she performed was without a thought. Every swing she made, every she blow she struck. She was going at that dummy with an empty mind, in regards to her every move. Whatever thoughts that were looming in her mind, she was channeling her emotions into her every move.

Her mind wasn't empty, and it wasn't small, meaningless thoughts swirling through her head. She was angry, frustrated, and confused, but her father taught her well to channel those feelings.

 _… "You've got to rise above the feeling. It's human to feel these emotions, but you must remind yourself you are stronger than them."…_

She remembered those words her father once spoke. All she could think about, as she continued to strike the dummy, was her father and how he never told her anything about her former life, about their former life, on Gaea. And in a way she knew why. She never would have believed it. Who would believe they were the long lost princess of a kingdom from a different world? That's the stuff of dreams, fantasies and stories.

'Maybe this is all a dream, or a vision… but it feels all too real.'

She braced for a final strike at the dummy, she focused all her frustration and anger into the strength of her final blow. Van's eyes never left Hitomi as she lashed the object with a vertical blow. He was now more curious about Hitomi. He had never met a woman who knew how to fight with a sword.

"You have some skills with a blade! How long have you trained?"

Van nearly fell from his hiding spot, and Hitomi jumped to her left as her head turned her right, to face where the voice had come from. Balgus was leaning on his right arm, against the doorframe. The light of the dojo illuminated him from the front, he was in tight blue pants and a white, long-sleeved tunic. Behind him was nothing but darkness, as it was still too early to light the hallways.

Hitomi lowered the sword to her side, turning away from the dummy and walking back to return the weapon to it's proper resting place.

"My father began teaching me when I was about 7. I haven't practiced in some time though."

"I remember your father. Elos was a excellent swordsman!"

Hitomi turned to face Balgus with a shocked expression on her face. She still wasn't used to the fact that her father was from Gaea, and so Balgus' statement shocked her a bit.

"Lord Van told me about your discovery last night."

"Oh, right, that." Hitomi lowered her head, avoiding looking at Balgus.

"I'm still trying to get my head around all this."

"I'm sure if Lord Van was here, he would say the same thing I say to you now. Fanelia is your home, for as long as you need it. The Fanels have always been loyal to the Dracens, you are safe here."

Hitomi could still not turn to look at Balgus, his words, though she heard them, barely sunk in.

"Thank you, Balgus" was all she could say

"You should try to get some rest soon. Visitors for the coronation will begin arriving in the next few days."

Balgus turned and left Hitomi alone in the dojo, who remained staring at the practice swords, lost in her own head. Van had remained silent in his hiding spot, watching Hitomi as she finally moved from her spot and almost out of the dojo, when he could no longer control the urge to speak.

"What made you stop?"

Hitomi nearly jumped out of her skin, her heart hammering against her chest.

"Who said that?" she shouted into the dojo. She was surprised to see Van climbing down from the rafters.

"What were you doing up there?" she asked. It was more of a shout though, her heart was only slowly settling down, but it was still beating fast.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I sometimes come here when I can't sleep, to think."

Both remained silent, neither knowing what to say to the other.

Hitomi, looked down, she was attempting to hold back a blush. Van was staring at her intensely. She didn't know what to say to Van, or if she wanted to say anything to him.

Van was fighting an urge to hold her in his arms. He wanted to hold his friend, he knew she was struggling with everything that had happened that night. But she wasn't his friend, not anymore. That was a different time, they had once been so close and now, they were strangers. Van decided for to end the awkward silence.

"You didn't answer my question."

Hitomi looked up at him, confused and surprised. 'Gosh he can be blunt'

"I… stop what?"

"Your sword practice. You told Balgus you hadn't practiced in a long time. I was curious why you gave up."

Hitomi quickly looked down from Van, but he saw the sadness before her eyes disappeared from his.

"About 6 months ago, my cousin Alon and his friend Theo, who I also thought of as a brother, they just disappeared. We don't know what happened to them, we couldn't find any trace of them, we don't even know if they're alive or dead. I stopped caring about the things I once did we them. Sword fighting was more of mine and Alon's thing, but Theo would always be there with us when we would practice."

Hitomi kept her gaze down, tears forming in her eyes. Van wanted to hold her even more now. He remembered how much Alonnos meant to her as a child. But he continued to hold that urge.

"I'm sorry," was all he knew he could say or do for her. She looked up to meet his eyes, and gave him a small smile.

They returned to their own rooms, and both finally found sleep.

"You sure sleep a lot, you know!"

Hitomi was abruptly awoken by the voice of Merle. The last couple of days she hardly left Hitomi's side, and began to suspect the cat-girl made it her mission to annoy her until she returned home. Just as Hitomi opened her eyes, Merle had already gone to the other side of the room to the window and opened the shutters, bringing the early morning sunlight into the room and blinding the sleepy-eyed Hitomi

"Seriously!? I'm just waking up! Can you please shut those?"

Merle turned and stared at Hitomi, her left hand placed firmly on her hip, with her right arm dangling at her side. She began walking back to the door.

"Nope! Can't risk you falling back asleep. We've got important guests arriving soon, and Lord Van wants to see you. So get your sleepy butt out of bed and get dressed. I'll be waiting outside the door." She slammed the door shut.

'I'm going to skin her alive if she keeps this up'

Hitomi dragged herself out of bed, and slowly made her way to the wash stand by the window. As she poured the water into the basin, she noticed a pile of clothes on the chair next to the stand. It was a sleeveless dress, that looked similar to a kimono.

The colour was a sky-blue, with white trim and a white ribbon to make a bow at the front. Hitomi had seen other women in Fanelia wearing similar styles. It was a bit long for her liking, but otherwise it suited her.

Van's eyes lit up and he smiled when she entered the room. He stood up as she walked closer to the table.

"Oh good, you got the dress."

Van was dressed up as well. He wore a long-sleeved white tunic, black pants and boots.

'I think this is the first time I've noticed how handsome he really is.'

"Yes, thank you for the dress. It's beautiful." she said, returning his smile

"Well obviously Lord Van would give you something to wear. What would our guests and the people say if you showed up wearing those strange clothes of yours all the time!"

Hitomi's smile evaporated and her eyes shut, as she tried to hold in the rushing anger at the cat-girl that was casually leaning on the door frame. A cheeky, cheshire smile on her face.

"Merle, don't you have some things to do before our guests arrive?"

Merle's smile quickly faded, she could hear the annoyance in Van's voice. Without a word, she quickly left the pair.

"I'm sorry about Merle. She's young and a bit protective of me."

Hitomi smiled, thinking of her own little brother. Though his actions and remarks were always more to annoy her than to protect her, but she understood that younger siblings could be like that.

'I wonder how they're all doing. Is it possible they may believe I'm here? Is it possible they'll come here to find me?'

"Are you ok?"

Van was now standing right beside her, a look of worry in his eyes. They were intense and Hitomi quickly looked down from him.

"I was just thinking of my own little brother and then started thinking about my parents."

"I'm sure they're worried about you. Don't worry, I'll find a way to get you back to them."

Hitomi looked back up to Van and they shared a smile and a moment.

"Oh I almost forgot why I asked you to come see me. I have a small favour to ask you. Queen Therese and her daughter, Princess Millerna are arriving later today, from Asturia. I have some business to discuss with the Queen, so I was hoping you and Merle would entertain Princess Millerna."

Hitomi didn't know what to think of Van's request. A part of her felt almost jealous of the fact that Van was concerned about finding some entertainment for a princess, and the fact that he wanted to speak with her mother in private didn't help.

'Why am I jealous? He may be someone I knew when I was 5, but he's still a stranger to me. Why should I care?'

"I'm only asking, because I know how Merle can be, and also because you'll be next to Princess Millerna and her mother during the ceremony." It was as if he was reading Hitomi's thoughts.

"I thought it would be good if you had someone familiar beside you. I know Fanelia seems like a strange place to you, and I want you to feel comfortable."

Van's concern for her comfort eased the small feelings of jealousy she had.

"Sure, I can do that."

The sound of hoofbeats and the roll of a carriage off in the distance, was all that could be heard as Van, Hitomi and all of Fanelia awaited at the gate. Three knights, dressed in white and blue puffed sleeved uniforms, rode ahead of the large wooden carriage.

Hitomi quickly noticed one of the knights, who was riding at the back left of the trio. He had long blonde hair, pulled into a ponytail and draped over his left shoulder. A snow white owl flew down and sat on his right shoulder. Despite his long blonde hair, he easily resembled her friend Amano.

The carriage came to a halt in front of Van and Hitomi. The footman, dressed in a puffy blue suit, quickly ran to open the door of the carriage. Van bowed, followed by Hitomi and the rest of the citizens, as Queen Therese stepped out of the carriage.

"Van Fanel. How good to see you after all these year." she spoke softly and happily. Van rose and took her hand.

"Queen Therese, welcome back to Fanelia. I am honoured to have you and Princess Millerna present at my coronation."

With the mention of her name, a tall, blonde-haired princess made her way, gracefully, out of the carriage. The wind picked up just in time to blow her hair in a style that would make a celebrity jealous. Hitomi noticed Merle tense up, her tail straightening and puffing out, when Van took Millerna's right hand and planted a soft kiss on it.

"Welcome back to Fanelia, Princess Millerna." She gave him a flirtatious smile.

The room was dark, with a few lit candles sporadically placed. A group of men sat in the centre, their faces unrecognizable in the darkness, but that did not matter to them.

"Explain to us, why did Van Fanel succeed? You were supposed to capture him and bring him here!" the voice was older and angry. He was speaking to one of the two youngest men in the room.

"We had Van in our sights. He was so caught up in his dragon hunt, it was going to be easy to capture him. But then he was spirited away by a pillar of light," the young man was growing frustrated as he continued his story.

"Almost an hour later, we saw another pillar of light. Van returned with the drag energist in hand. But Ruhm found him before we could get anywhere near him. We didn't have enough men to go after him and fight the wolves of Arzas. Those damn beasts!"

"You say he disappeared and then returned in a pillar of light?" the second man sounded much older than the first.

"Yes, and it appeared that someone came back with him. It looked like a boy around his age"

"Then he must have gone to the Mystic Moon and brought back one of its inhabitants. But how did he create those pillars? I must know. Has anything new come up about the pillar that appeared near Palas in Asturia a few months ago?" asked the elder man.

"Nothing. No trace of anyone or anything. Perhaps it was just a fluke it appeared." replied the first man.

"In my experience there are no flukes. Dilandau!" the elder man was now speaking to the second of the two youngest men.

"Take your men to Fanelia. Use the stealth cloaks. Soon he will use the energist to summon Escaflowne. When he does, I want him and the guymelef captured."

The young man named Dilandau bowed.

"Of course, Emperor Dornkirk." His voice was like snake, anxious to make the venomous bite. He turned to walk out of the room, but was stopped by the man Dornkirk.

"Dilandau, remember Queen Therese and her daughter are in Fanelia. They will be leaving after the coronation. Asturia is our ally, and they are not to be harmed. The summoning of Escaflowne is to take a day after the coronation, so you are to strike only then, not a second before."

"I'll do my best!" he replied, disappointed and feeling like the fun was sucked out of his mission.

"Take Luwan with you," said the first man.

"Perhaps he can learn from you and make right his mistake."

Despite the poor lighting in the room, it was obvious that the first man was staring at him with sheer anger and Luwan had an expression of shame on his face.

"Very well" was all Dilandau said and he proceeded to leave them room. Luwan rose to follow.

"I will not disappoint you again, father!" he said timidly. He was shaking as he turned and left the room.

If Hitomi was asked where she came from, she was to tell them from one of the villages near the edge of Emeralia forest. The fact she was from the Mystic Moon was to remain a secret.

The castles formal dining hall was quite large, at least twice the size of her school cafeteria, if not just a bit bigger. She was seated to Van's left, with Princess Millerna on her other side. Queen Therese was on Van's right. They were deep in discussion, and from what little bits Hitomi heard, it was about the coronation. Unaware to either Van or Hitomi, the Queen often made quick glances at the young girl next to her daughter.

The Queen and her daughter were almost exact images of one another. Both were pale skinned, slim and beautiful, their dresses puffed sleeved and pink, with white gloves. Therese's hair was straight and almost a white blonde, and she had blue eyes, while Millerna's hair was curly and golden blonde, her eyes were violet.

"Hitomi, tell me about yourself. I'm quite curious about you." Hitomi turned to face Millerna, who was resting her head on her left hand and staring at her with great interest and curiosity. Hitomi was unsure of what to say.

"There really isn't much to say about me. I'm just an ordinary girl from a regular little village in the forest. Nothing special about me!" She smiled and laughed awkwardly at herself.

'Great, she must think I'm a total loser now or something. Smooth Hitomi, smooth.'

Merle, who was on the other side of Millerna, was trying to cover her snickering behind her paws.

"My mother and I heard you saved Prince Van's life during his dragon slaying." Millerna sat up straight and held Hitomi's hands in her own.

"I'd hardly call that ordinary. You must be very brave!" The dazzling look in Millerna's eyes didn't help Hitomi think any faster.

"I really didn't do much, I just happened to be around and noticed the dragon was getting ready to strike Van when he was focused on what to do next. All I did was warn him in time so he could jump out of the way."

"Hitomi is being quite humble. Her aid not only saved my life, but provided the perfect opportunity to complete the slaying." Van and Therese were facing Millerna and Hitomi, and Hitomi smiled at Van's words.

"I wouldn't be sitting here and preparing to become King if it weren't for her."

"Not many people would run in to danger to aid another, especially when it involves a dragon and it's opponent. It took great bravery for you to do what you did."

Hitomi and the others turned to the entrance. The voice had come from the blonde haired knight Hitomi saw earlier when the Queen and Princess arrived.

"Prince Van, Lady Hitomi, this is Allen Schezar, one of our Knights of Caeli and one of Asturia's best swordsmen." Therese spoke proudly of the golden knight.

"He joined us on our journey after we stopped at our outpost in Castelo."

"You honour me, you grace." He replied with a bow. In his right hand he held a letter and walked towards the table, hand outstretched towards the Queen.

"This just arrived from Asturia, from your aide."

"Thank you, Allen."

When Allen turned to leave the table his eyes met with Hitomi's and he smiled at her before turning his back completely from the table and walking out.

Therese whispered to Van, both rose and began to walk from the table.

"Ladies, if you will excuse us. The Queen and I have some business to handle." Van turned to look to them.

"Merle, Hitomi, I trust you two will be good company for Princess Millerna."

"Oh, Prince Van don't you worry about us," Millerna began cheerfully.

"The three of us will be fine. If these two don't mind, I'd enjoy going for a walk in the gardens. It's been so long since I last saw them and they are one of my favourite memories of Fanelia."

She turned and smiled at Hitomi. "What do you think Hitomi?"

Ever since the revelation the other night, Hitomi had a deep desire to go to the gardens. She felt as if there would be some answers there for her, and she had also hoped that Van would be go with her to the gardens for the first time… well, first time since she returned to Gaea. But she felt she couldn't deny Millerna.

"I think that will be fun."

No sooner after she answered, Millerna swiftly grabbed Hitomi and Merle's hands and almost dragged them out of the dining hall to the gardens.

Queen Therese watched from the window of Vans study, as the three girls began their way into the gardens. She noticed how Millerna always had held Hitomi's hand as they walked and talked with one another. She smiled at the blossoming friendship. Her daughter needed a friend to confide in. Something her daughter had been denied since her eldest was sent to Freid.

Van was unaware of what the Queen was doing, as he was rummaging through some paper work, trying to find the treaty his father signed for the alliance between Asturia and Fanelia. He assumed that was what she wanted to talk about. But when he found the parchment, the Queen dismissed it.

"Though that is one of the main reasons I am here for the coronation, to renew the treaty, that is not why I wanted to speak with you alone right now." The Queen smiled at him, as he stood before her, treaty in hand, absorbing what she was saying.

"Though I made many observations to be sure, the second I saw I knew."

Van was initially confused, but as he absorbed the words, he began to suspect what she was referring to.

"Did you really think I wouldn't recognize my own niece. She's the spitting image of her mother when she first came to Draconia."

Van closed his eyes and smiled, he felt a weight remove from his soul. But he was not prepared for what she said next.

"Just like her cousin, Alonnos."


	4. Chapter 4 - Coronation Chaos

Chapter 4 - Coronation Chaos

Luwan's father paced slowly across the room, while Dornkirk sat silently with his cane in hand. The room was lit with more candles than before.

Dornkirk was an elderly man, around 80 years of age. Attached to both his hands were tubes connected to various I.V. drips, the liquid in them was a neon green colour. His hair and beard were long and white, and his eyes were dark, holding a small glimmer of life inside them. He was staring at the wall across the room, as if it held some great secret it would soon reveal.

The other man was in his mid-thirties, brown haired with a short beard. He continued pacing with a calm and patient look on his face. He turned to Dornkirk with a stern look.

"You never did tell me why you want Van Fanel and the Escaflowne." he said, breaking the long silence between them.

"I require the Escaflowne for my fate alteration machine. And I will need Fanel blood to make it work."

"I thought you already had a Fanel as a captive?"

Dornkirk remained silent at this question.

"It's not just the Fanel blood you need, it's Draconian blood too."

The elder man broke his gaze with the wall, and their eyes met.

"I am very much aware of the fact that Goau Fanel married a Draconian women, and both Van and his older brother Folken have Fanel and Draconian blood in their veins. You wish to seek the power of Atlantis."

Dornkirk closed his eyes and smiled.

"You are quite wise to figure that out…King Hybor."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Millerna and Hitomi strolled through the gardens, their arms now linked, as Merle returned to the castle to arrange for refreshments. The sun shined through openings in the trees, butterflies rested upon some beautiful purple flowers that were to the girls right, and birds could be heard singing in the trees above them. Millerna let go of Hitomi's arm, kicked off her shoes and ran to the pond, pulling up her skirt and dipping her toes into the cool water.

"It's been so long since I was last here. I love this place. I wish we had something like this in Asturia."

Hitomi smiled at Millerna.

 _ **…A young Hitomi stood in the middle of the beautiful garden, wearing her light pink dress, and her hands behind her back, she looked side-to-side. Her sandy-brown hair waved back and forth with every turn of her little head.**_

 __ _ **She looked over at at a bush full of flowers, as it began to shake. Out stumbled a young Van, shaking leaves and twigs out of his wild hair with his left hand, while holding a small flower in his right. He looked over to his right and saw Hitomi staring at him. He smiled brightly and ran over to hand the flower to her.**_

 _ **"**_ _ **For you, Arianna. It's the best one out of them all"**_

 _ **She**_ _ **smiled brightly, accepting his beautiful gift…**_

"Hitomi? Are you alright?"

Millerna's voice brought Hitomi back from her vision. It was the first one she'd had in days. Millerna was now standing in front Hitomi, holding her hands and looking worried.

"I'm sorry, I guess I just got a little overwhelmed with this place."

"You looked like you saw a ghost. You went pale and were staring off into the distance."

It was as if Millerna could see right through her.

"Honestly, it was nothing. This place also reminds me of home a bit."

Millerna still did not look convinced, but she didn't press the matter with Hitomi.

"You must miss your parents. Tell me, where are you from again?"

"Oh, well I'm from…"

"She's from one of the villages east of here." Hitomi was thankful, for once, at the cat-girls timings. Merle was holding a tray with some wine and glasses.

"Oh yes, we passed the villages on our way here. There's a market town that connects them all, right by the main river. What's the market like Hitomi? You must have been there many times."

"Oh no, she's way too busy on her families farm to go to the market, right Hitomi?" Merle was being cheeky again, as she laid the tray down on one of the stone benches next to the Hitomi and Millerna.

"I can answer for myself Merle" leave it to the cat-girl to annoy her to no end.

"Then why don't you?" she replied with a whisper, knowing well she was getting under Hitomi's skin. Hitomi was ready to tell her off.

"Oh, you're a farming family, that explains a lot about you then." Hitomi was taken aback by Millerna's comment.

'Did she just insult me?'

"Ouch, you just got judged" whispered Merle, as if she had read Hitomi's mind.

"Bad kitty!" Hitomi shouted, as Merle ran off, giggling.

"I'm sorry Hitomi." Hitomi looked at Millerna.

"I realize that may have come off as a harsh remark. I didn't mean it like that. It's just, you seem quite independent. Like you know how to take care of yourself and handle any situation. Many of the farm girls I've met at the market in Asturia are like that. To be honest I really admire girls like you. Sometimes I feel the urge to speak my mind or handle a situation myself, but I'm either scolded or it's handled for me."

"It can't be easy when you're the princess of a country." she smiled at Millerna, trying to be understanding of the Princess' own situation in life.

"No. It makes it more difficult when you're the youngest and both of your older sisters are quiet and compliant. My mother though says my attitude will mould me into a great Queen someday."

"Queen? I'm sorry, I thought you said you had two older sisters."

Millerna and Hitomi sat on the grass, both barefoot and toes in the pond.

"Usually that is the case, but after I was born, an Oracle proclaimed I would be the best fit to become Queen of Asturia. My eldest sister Marlene was married to the Duke of Freid and my sister Eries is turning down suitors left and right, while my father has arranged for me to marry the son of Asturias wealthiest merchant."

"I'm sorry to hear that Millerna. I hope everything works out for you."

"And I hope things work out with you and Van." she gave Hitomi a cheeky smile, it reminded her of Yukari.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you think Van brought you to Fanelia?" the cheeky smile seemed to get bigger.

"Because I saved his life!?" Hitomi said, a bit questionably 'And also because neither of us really had a choice… what is she getting at?'

"He hasn't asked you yet, has he?"

"Asked me what?" Hitomi had an idea where Millerna was going with this, but she didn't want to believe it.

"It's not often a commoner saves their reigning prince. And even when it does happen, they're often thanked with a bag of gold, NOT an extended stay at the castle."

'Why do I feel like I should be almost insulted here?'

"Honestly Hitomi, he's going to marry you. There's no other reason why he would bring you here if he wasn't."

Hitomi's cheeks were burning.

'Oh gosh, she has this completely wrong' she thought to herself.

"If that were true, why me?"

"Why not? He's the last of his family bloodline, he's about to become King, he'll need to start producing heirs as soon as he can. Most kings do after all. You saved his life and you are quite attractive. Both he and Fanelia owe you a debt for that. It's pretty self-expanatory."

Hitomi was pretty sure she could hear hissing behind her in the bushes. Merle would likely use her or Millerna as a scratching post later for this.

'If only I could tell her the truth.'

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

"Did you really think I wouldn't recognize my own niece? She's the spitting image of her mother when she first came to Draconia."

Van closed his eyes and smiled, he felt a weight remove from his soul.

"Just like her cousin, Alonnos."

Van opened his eyes wide, shocked and confused.

"What do you mean, about Alonnos? Is he..?"

"Six months ago a pillar of light, just like the two from the night of your dragon slaying, appeared just outside of Asturia, and two young men were brought to Palas. I immediately recognized Alonnos. Like Arianna, he is the spitting image of his own mother. Queen Meiko's identical twin sister, Hanako."

"Hanako?"

"You wouldn't remember her Van, neither would Arianna. She got sick and passed away before either of you were born. Alonnos was only 4 years old. The poor boy. No father or mother. But Eleos had a big heart and he and Meiko took the boy in, he treated that boy like he was his own son."

"So where is he now? Hitomi believes him to be dead."

"He and Theo, the other boy, are in Palas. Theo is training to be apart of my personal guard and Alonnos, is serving as my personal aide. He's been going by 'Alos.' I felt it was best to change his name and keep him close to protect him. After the celebrations are done, you and my niece should come to Palas. I think it would be best if Arianna reunites with her family."

"Hitomi. Her name is Hitomi." Van was stern and protective in his voice.

"She doesn't remember anything about her former life here on Gaea, and I already promised I would return her to the Mystic Moon. If we do come to Palas, it would be best that the only family she reunites with are her brothers."

The room was tense and several minutes of silence went by between them.

"I'm aware that she doesn't remember her life here on Gaea, but we also can't ignore the fact that after all these years she is the one that returns home. Hybor was never meant to take Draconia, and she is Eleos' eldest child and heir. It won't be long before Hybor makes a visit to Fanelia, do you really want to risk her safety if he sees her? He may not have cared to take a second glance at Alonnos, but the second he sees her and even hears the name she uses now, he'll know. 'Arianna Hitomi Kanzaki Dracen' was the name she was given. If she is in Asturia, I can protect her."

Van knew she was right.

"If I bring her to Asturia, I'm the one that tells her everything. She should hear it from someone she at least somewhat knows and trusts."

"Of course."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Luwan leaned over the balcony of the floating fortress, staring down at Fanelia. Patience was not one of his strengths, but he was better at it than Dilandau, who was constantly pacing in the hangar, more and more quickly as time went by

Dilandau and Luwan were both tall and slender. Luwan had long brown hair, which reached just past his shoulders. He resembled a younger, beardless version of his father. He wore regular armour and chainmail. Dilandau's hair was short and white, while his armour was painted blood red, matching his eyes.

"I hate waiting. I want to strike now?" Dilandau did little to show his growing impatience.

"Your emperor and my father were clear that we were to wait for Queen Therese and Princess Millerna to leave Fanelia before we strike."

"Why? It's not like they're a part of this. Why do we even need to wait for Van Fanel to become king in the first place?"

"Do you really want Asturia after us for killing their Queen and Princess? Even with the precautions to ensure no one knows Draconia or Zaibach are behind this attack, if it ever got out, Asturia has alliances with almost all the countries of Gaea, we would be at war. And my father has always held a soft spot for his older sister."

Luwan rose from the balcony and walked to Dilandau.

"As for Fanelia, I don't know all the details," Luwan was now looking Dilandau eye to eye.

"But I believe your emperor is interested in the Escaflowne, and only the King of Fanelia can summon it."

Dilandau turned and huffed.

"Those bumpkin samurai better put up a good fight. I hate waiting." And the white haired soldier walked away.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Dinner was quiet, everyone was tired from the day and overwhelmed with excitement about the coronation the next day.

Millerna, Merle and Hitomi moved from the gardens and spent the afternoon wandering the market in the city.

Van and Queen Therese drew up a new terms for the treaty between Asturia and Fanelia.

As everyone retired for the evening, Van quietly passed a note to Hitomi asking her to meet him in the gardens in one hour.

The sun was setting, giving the sky a beautiful orange, blue and purple colouring. Van was leaning against the entrance to the garden, wearing a sky blue tunic instead of the white one he wore all day. He turned and smiled when he saw her, and she returned that smile. He offered her his arm, and she gladly took it as they walked to the gardens, both unaware of the Queen and princess watching them from the balcony above.

"How was your day?" he asked her, breaking the silence once they found seclusion by the pond.

"It was… interesting, I guess." She pulled away from Van and observed some yellow flowers.

"Oh?" he sat down on one of the stone benches, watching her.

"Millerna is… different."

"I imagine she probably thinks the same of you." he said with a light laugh.

"Probably." She now looked up at the trees, listening to the sound of birds tweeting.

"How was your afternoon with the Queen?" she turned to look at him.

"It was, enlightening. I will have to go to Asturia in a few days, we made some changes to the original treaty and King Aston himself will need to sign it."

"How long will you be gone?"

"About a week. I was thinking, maybe you'd come with me? I know this place still feels strange to you, I thought you would be more comfortable if you stayed with me."

"That would be nice, Van."

They both smiled at one another and Van got up from the stone bench and walked towards her. He took her hand and led her to a flower bush off to their left. Blue flowers overwhelmed the bush. The colour captivated Hitomi and memory stirred…

 _ **…A young Hitomi and Van sat staring at the bush of beautiful blue flowers.**_

 _ **"**_ _ **Mother told me they're meaning is "One who cannot be forgotten."**_

 _ **"**_ _ **They're so pretty, Van." Van turned and looked at her.**_

 _ **"**_ _ **I'll give you one before you go back to Draconia, so you'll remember me until we see each other again."**_

 _ **Hitomi turned and looked at him, smiling brightly.**_

 _ **"**_ _ **You're my best friend, Van. I'd never forget you." …**_

 __"Is something wrong, Hitomi?" Van was concerned as Hitomi's bright smile had faded to sadness and her eyes seemed lost in a deep thought.

"I… I promised." Tears began forming in the corners of her eyes.

"I promised I would never forget you, Van. And I did. I don't know why, but I did forget you."

As two tears streamed down her cheeks, Van let go of all resistance and pulled her into his arms, she buried her face in his chest.

"You remembered something?" He asked calmly.

"We were children, it was the last time I visited Fanelia, just before… I'm so sorry Van."

'She remembers now' Van smiled, but it was a sad one. She finally remembered something, but he knew he had to keep his promise.

"I'm glad you remembered something, but I will keep my promise to get you back home safely."

Hitomi looked up at Van, and their eyes met. For the first time since she came here, he finally felt familiar to her. He felt almost like… home.

"I promise I'll never forget you again, no matter what happens."

Van let go of their embrace, and holding her hand he continued to the bush of blue flowers. He picked one and turned to her, a smile in his eyes again.

"For you Hitomi. It's the best one out of them all."

She smiled brightly, accepting his beautiful gift.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 _ **…**_ _ **Smoke rose above the city buildings, as the fire spread quickly, destroying everything in its path**_ _ **.**_ _ **Several cloaked giants appeared out of thin air, raising their arms and unleashing their metallic claws ripping through other armoured giants,**_ _ **soldiers**_ _ **and buildings.**_

 _ **A white haired young man with blood thirsty eyes laughed manically as the city grumbled and its people cried in fear.**_

 _ **Van stood upon a platform, raising the energist he took from the dragon. The white majestic giant appeared, kneeling before Van.**_

 _ **A cloaked giant raised it**_ _ **'s arm the white giant, preparing to shoot one of it's metallic claws at it and Van who was inside. The metal claw ripped through the white giants front and Van's agonizing cries rang out**_ _ **…**_

 __Hitomi shot up in her bed. Sweat was pouring down her forehead, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Van" she whispered, worry in her voice. She looked over to her left. The blue flower he gave her sat in a small cup of water. For some reason it calmed her down and she fell back onto her bed, draping her right arm over her eyes and she breathed deeply.

'Was that a dream? Or a vision'

She was not sure, but she hoped it was the former and that she would not be plagued with it again for the rest of the night. In the back of her head, as she dozed back to sleep, she thought about her deck of Tarot cards inside her duffel bag.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The castle was busy, as maids and servants sprinted through the halls, preparing last minute details for the coronation ceremony. Hitomi was left on her own with Therese and Millerna.

"You're not staying for the dinner?"

"My sister Marlene is sick. She's currently pregnant with her second child and it's been a difficult for her. Mother will accompany me back to Asturia and she will head straight to Freid from there."

"I'm really sorry to hear that, I hope she and the baby will be alright."

"Marlene is strong. I'm sure she will be fine. She just needs her mother right now."

Hitomi understood Therese's words too well. 'I sure could use my mom right now. And dad. I wonder how they're doing'

"Will you be accompanying Van to Asturia after the celebrations?" Millerna sounded hopeful and excited.

"Yes, Van asked me about that last night."

Millerna gave Hitomi another cheeky smile, but said nothing as the women finished their breakfast. It wasn't until Therese returned to her quarters to prepare, that Millerna came up to Hitomi. The girls walked arm-in-arm.

"So?" she asked. That cheeky smile getting bigger.

'It's like she's Yukari's doppelgänger or something'

"So, what?"

"Don't play cute Hitomi, I saw you and Van take a romantic stroll in the garden at dusk."

Hitomi turned away from Millerna, blushing profusely. It didn't make it any better when they arrived to Hitomi's room and found a parcel from Van on her bed.

"Well, look at that. Go on Hitomi, open it." Millerna sat herself on the wooden chair by the window, as Hitomi picked up the parcel.

Inside was a dress similar to what she wore the day before, but this one was red, with gold-yellow trim and ribbon. It was also short-sleeved, but the skirt was a bit shorter than the other one, just stopping at her ankles. It looked brand new and more stylish.

"Those are the Fanelian colours. Well if he hasn't proposed yet, he certainly will soon. A king does not dress a woman in his countries colours unless he intends to marry her."

 _ **"For you Hitomi. It's the best one out of them all."**_

'Wait, what if she's right?'

 _ **"**_ _ **I will keep my promise to get you back home safely."**_

'There's got to be some other explanation for all of this.'

"Well, I'll leave you to get ready. The coronation will be underway soon." And with that, the blonde-haired princess got up from her seat and left the poor girl embarrassed and confused.

"She really is Yukari's doppelgänger." she said quietly to herself. Only her red-headed best friend would have made such bold comments and then walked away leaving her to her own thoughts. But there was nothing for her to do, but get dressed and ready…

 _ **… Footsteps mysteriously emerged in the ground outside the closed gates of Fanelia. A cloaked giant pulled it's arm up, released its metallic claw, ripping through the wooden gate. It marched through and was greeted by armed soldiers who were unaware what destroyed the gate and created footsteps in the ground.**_

 _ **Several arms appeared from under the cloaks, ripping through the soldiers with their metallic claws.**_

 _ **The people of Fanelia scattered in fear.**_

 _ **"**_ _ **Summon Escaflowne, Lord Van." Balgus stood next to Van, dressed in traditional samurai armour, with a blue cap.**_

 _ **"**_ _ **Summon Escaflowne and flee with Lady Hitomi."**_

 _ **Balgus was on the ground, in a pool of blood.**_

 _ **Van screamed in agony inside his white giant, as a metallic claw ripped through him and the giant.**_

 __'What was that?'

Hitomi was standing in her room, dressed in the outfit Van had given her. Her heart pounding, her body trembling and a bad feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach.

"Was that a vision?" She said aloud. She remembered her tarot cards, but she didn't have time to do a reading. The bells rang out across the city, it was almost midday and time for the coronation.

She was seated between Millerna and Merle, while Therese sat on Millerna's other side, next to Balgus. Large giants were set in formation for the ceremony, while all of Fanelias samurai were dressed in their traditional armour, but Van stood out from them all. He wore the same white armour as he had in Hitomis vision, a gold dragon on a red backdrop sat in the centre of his breast plate. He wore a white helmet with gold decal and what resembled a unicorn horn at the top… Hitomi held back a chuckle with that one.

Everyone bowed as Van walked along the ceremonial carpet to the elder members of the court. The eldest man held out a blue scabbard to Van, who bowed.

"Van Fanel, King of Fanelia. I present this sword as prove of thy accession."

Van rose, taking the sword.

"Long may you reign."

And all of Fanelia cheered as Van Fanel was now finally King.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The soldier watched through his giants scope as Queen Therese and Princess Millerna boarded the leviship that awaited for them at the city gates. He could see King Van giving them a farewell.

"Chesta, what do you see?" the sound of Dilandaus voice was heard over the radio.

"The Queen and princess are just now boarding the Asturian leviship, Lord Dilandau." he replied as maintained his watch.

"Let me know once they are out of site. I'm done waiting, we will strike Fanelia tonight."

"But sir, we have our orders to wait until he summons the Guymelef, Escaflowne."

Chesta and his guymelef were hit from the left side and knocked to the ground. Dilanadau was beside him in his own guymelef.

"I don't care about that." Dilandau was stern.

"If we attack now, he'll likely summon Escaflowne to retaliate anyways. I want some fun. Don't forget to use the stealth cloaks when we get to that run-down mountain side called a 'country'."

"Y-y-yes my lord, f-f-forgive me." Chesta was trembling inside his guymelef.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Van and Hitomi continued waving as the leviship passed the valley and out of site behind the distant mountains. The afternoon festivities had already started. Everywhere there were people celebrating, praising Van, their King, and Hitomi, the girl who saved him.

But the festivities didn't last more than a few hours, as the sun began to set into the evening…

… _ **A stealth-cloaked guymelef pulled it's arm up, releasing its metallic claw, ripping through the wooden gate.**_

 _ **The people of Fanelia scattered in fear.**_

 _ **Balgus was on the ground, lying in a pool of blood**_

 _ **Van screamed in agony inside his guymelef, as a metallic claw ripped through him and the Escaflowne.**_

 _ **All of Fanelia was burning**_ _ **…**_

… "Hitomi? Are you ok?" Van was almost shouting at her, and shook her back to reality.

"What's wrong? Say something?" There was terror in his face, it reflected the same terror that was all over Hitomi's.

"Van, something is wrong. Someone is going to attack Fanelia."

Before he could even respond, a thunderous crack was heard through the streets up to the castle. The wooden gate had been ripped apart. And something giant and invisible was damaging the road step-by-step. Foot soldiers approached the damage, but could not see the enemy, until a guymelef arm appeared out of thin air and slammed against several men, crushing them.

Another arm appeared and it pushed out several metal claws that merged into one sharp blade, wiping out the remaining men.

Van quickly grabbed Hitomi and pulled her back inside the castle.

"Send out the garrison and melef units." cried one of the samurai.

Several guymelefs came, but the invisible enemy had the upper hand and ripped through each one with their metallic claws.

A red guymelef arm appeared and shot flames all over the lower town, setting everything ablaze. Dilandau laughed diabolically as he watched the townspeople frantically running for their lives.

"That's right, run, run away from the flames as your homes burn to ash."

Van and Hitomi reached the barracks, where they ran into Balgua. He handed Van the red energist.

"Take this and Lady Hitomi to the shrine. Summon Escaflowne and flee while you can, my King." he ordered calmly.

"You want me to flee from my enemy? They've set Fanelia ablaze? I'm going to stay and fight beside you!" Van's anger and intent were crystal clear.

"Go now, Lord Van. Get yourself and Lady Hitomi to safety!" He was stern but remained calm. Van reluctantly obeyed and pulled Hitomi behind him as they ran to the shrine. He stopped at the armoury first, and handed Hitomi a long-sword.

"Take this!" he said sternly as they continued on to the shrine.

"You're not expecting me to fight, are you?" She shouted to him.

All around them were explosions and the sound of melefs and buildings being destroyed. They finally reached the shrine, where a large platform sat in the center of the room. Above it was a large stone shaped like an egg, and the Fanelian crest, which resembled the crown of a dragons head, was painted in the center of the back wall. In the center of the crest was the same gold dragon emblem that was on Van's chest plate. He quickly discarded his Samurai armour.

"No, but it's so you can protect yourself. Once I summon Escaflowne it's possible they'll challenge me. I won't be able to protect you."

He was down to his tan pants and red tunic. With the energist in hand, he walked to the center of the platform. Hitomi saw him lift the sword a few inches out of the scabbard, and traced his thumb along the blade. She didn't see that Van placed his cut thumb onto the energist, allowing his own blood to soak into it, before he raised it into the air.

"I, Van Fanel, new King of Fanelia, bind myself by blood pact to thee, Escaflowne."

The energist began to glow.

"Now, sleeping dragon, awake!"

The parts of the platform began to turn, creating a pink pillar that rose from the platform to the large stone above Van. It began to crack and and disintegrate, and Escaflowne descended, bowing to Van. He climbed up to a large pink gem held by a three-talon claw on Escaflowne's left side, and placed the energist inside of it. It began to pulse like a heart, and the cockpit to the guymelef opened. Van jumped into the chamber, his arms and legs each finding their designated place to pilot the giant.

"It's just like the old text said. I can do this."

The cockpit closed and gears and sprockets began to move, as Van lifted his legs in the cockpit to move the Escaflowne up. Escaflowne's arms moved with his arms, and every step he took, Escaflowne took as well.

"Van!" Hitomi called to him.

"Please, just be careful."

He smiled. "Don't worry, I'll get us out of here."

He moved toward her, intended to gently lift her up and carry her out, when a soldier and two invisible guymelefs. The soldier ran at Hitomi, his sword lifted in the air ready strike her down. She blocked the attack with her sword.

"Hitomi!" Van raced the Escaflowne towards her. She continued to hold her defence, but her opponent was strong…

 **…** _ **A stealth-cloaked guymelef pulled it's arm up, releasing its metallic claw towards Escaflowne…**_

As the vision ended, Hitomi looked up just as the wind blew and moved the invisible guymelefs cloak just enough for her to see it.

"Van! Dead ahead!" she cried, and she put all her strength into pushing her opponent off. He slide back and prepared to charge again.

"What?" Van moved his eyes from her and looked straight ahead, just as the invisible guymelef brought up it's arm and began to release it's metallic claw. Van swiftly pulled Escaflowne's sword from it's back, and he jumped to the right and out of the way of the claw, as Escaflowne's sword grew. The claw surely would have hit him and Escaflowne in the front of the ribs if he hadn't dodged it, instead it pierced the Fanelian crest on the wall.

Hitomi prepared for her opponents strike and blocked it again, both hands firmly gripping the pommel. Their swords collided again and her opponent used his strength to try and push her back again. She held her ground.

Van raised Escaflowne's sword and jumped forward towards the invisible guymelef, striking it vertically from the front. Grey liquid sprayed from the wound and the melef collapsed.

Hitomi's opponent was distracted enough, she was able to push him back again, with a blow to his unprotected lower stomach, using her elbow. He held his stomach with his left hand, and swung his sword at her with his right, aiming for her left side. She dodged it with a twirl and came around to her opponents back, slashing through him with her sword. He howled in pain as he collapsed to the ground.

Her heart pounded so hard in her chest, she thought it was going to burst. For the first time in her life she spared against someone who intended to kill her and she took a life to defend herself. She stood in a state of shock.

"Hitomi!" Van shouted from the cockpit, but she did not hear him, she only stared at the men who laid dead before her. Neither of them noticed the arm appear right behind Van, ready to strike him through the back.

"Hitomi! Snap out of it! We've got to go!" she still did not budge. He reached out to her with Escaflowne's hand.

"Hitomi!" he called once more.

"Lord Van, watch out!" Van turned just as Balgus, with his great sword in hand, managed to cut off the melefs arm just before it struck. Hitomi looked up as Van ran toward to where the arm fell, and slashed at the air, hitting another invisible guymelef, which also sprayed liquid and crumbled to the ground.

"Lord Van, we have to go now."

Van nodded and turned back to Hitomi, Escaflowne's hand outstretched to her.

"Climb on, I'll carry you."

She silently obeyed and grabbed one of the melefs fingers and Van gently shut the hand around her. He followed Balgus out of the shrine and both he and Hitomi were horrified at the sight before them.

Bodies and destroyed melefs laid scattered everywhere as the city was on fire. Van collapsed Escaflowne to it knees.

"Fa…Fanelia." tears formed in his eyes.

"Oh no, Fanelia!" Hitomi couldn't form tears, she was too shocked by everything she saw.

Several guymelefs suddenly appeared out of thin air, surrounding Escaflowne, Van, Hitomi and Balgus. Dilandau's red guymelef was in the center, facing Escaflowne. He moved the melefs arm to signal to capture Escaflowne, when Balgus ran towards him, ready to strike him down. One of the blue guymelefs lifted it's arm and shot a metallic dart at Balgus. The force pushed him back to Escaflownes feet. Balgus laid there in a pool of blood.

"Lord Van…" he began weakly.

"No! Balgus!"

"…Flee… Lord Van… Come back… someday… rebuild…Fanelia…"

It was too much. Hitomi had enough, she no longer wished to be amongst all this destruction. Tears finally streamed down her face and she wished with all her heart that she and Van could get far away from this place.

"BALGUS!"

As Van cried out and Hitomi wished, Escaflowne's pink gem and Hitomi's pendant glowed simultaneously. They were once again spirited away by a pillar of light.


End file.
